Personal Perspective Paper
Throughout my life thus far, I have been privileged to play several different, but rewarding
roles. Currently, I am an athlete, son, brother, friend, boyfriend, and most importantly,
follower of Christ. The various roles I have in my life allow me an opportunity to make a
variety of ethical decisions. To the best of my ability, I attempt to make these decisions on
my own accord, free of outside, biased influences. Based on the various approaches of
ethical decision-making we have covered throughout this course, I can self-diagnose
myself as a teleological decision maker.
Individuals who tend to see ethical decisions from a consequences-based point of view are
classified as teleological decision makers. This is in contrast to deontological types who
decide situations solely based on the previously established rules. Teleological theories
convey that the rightness of actions is determined solely by the good consequences they
produce. Thus, actions in teleological theories are justified by virtue. Virtue can be a rather
broad term, and philosophers have struggled to properly define it for years. Virtues are
acquired character traits that are obtained through habit. For instance, an individual cannot
be deemed as honest if he tells the truth only once. For a person to be virtuous, he/she must
make decisions of virtue whenever they arise, on a consistent basis. That is why I believe
consistency is a necessity for being virtuous. In my opinion, consistency is essential for
excellence in any situation. I have played basketball for my entire life, and one of the few
definite facts I have taken from the sport is that if a team or a player wants to be great, they
must be consistent. Any team can play great on a given day, but the teams that win
championships and etch their place in history, are the teams who perform at their highest
level, day in and day out. The 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls team had as close to a perfect
NBA season as any team ever had. They had a record of 72 wins and only 10 losses in the
regular season before marching their way through the playoffs to an NBA championship in
dominant fashion. What made that Chicago Bulls team arguably the best team in NBA
history was not their athleticism or talent, but rather their consistency and discipline they
displayed throughout their memorable run. The same goes for being considered virtuous. A
person is only seen as good if he is consistent with his actions of benevolence, compassion,
